Persistence is a Virtue?
by catthegreat
Summary: Naruto's been following Sasuke around for about a year now, asking the other on dates every chance he gets. Sasuke's had just about enough, especially after he sees just how...invested Naruto is in him. NaruSasu Day 2013


_Eh. It's like an hour late. Still counts somewhere._

_Warning: I've taken liberties with Naruto's height (he never gets to be tall...). Also, this is super fluffy. Like choke on a cotton pillow fluffy (at least in comparison to my other stuff). So it's also kinda OOC. You've been warned._

_No freshman were harmed in the making of this fic._

* * *

Homework was on Sasuke's list of his Top Ten Least Favorite Things. It was right up there with doing laundry on Sundays, cleaning dirty dishes after letting them sit for several days, and preparing for a test with less than a week's warning. Just to name a few.

The only thing that could make this any worse was if he'd have to work in the school on one of their desktops instead of at home on his own personal laptop. As luck would have it, his computer crashed earlier that week, and the raven was now subjected to working on the university's while he waited for the incompetent "IT group" to solve the problem. He didn't really have much hope.

So here he was. October 23. Trying to get his homework done in one of the engineering buildings – the library was too loud and too full of annoying freshman for his taste. He seemed to have forgotten that obnoxious people worked in the engineering buildings too.

His fist clenched around the mouse as a whole group of them laughed too loud. He needed his computer fixed. Now. They laughed again. Anymore and he'd break the damn mouse.

It was then that one particular obnoxious person leaned over him, invading his personal space. And it wasn't just anyone. No, this person had the spot of honor: Number One on his list of Top Ten Least Favorite Things.

Naruto.

"Hey, Sas'. Whatcha doin tonight?"

The raven ground his teeth together, resisting the childish urge to respond with 'not you'. Instead he scrolled his page down to the next question and tried in vain to ignore the blond towering over him, hoping he'd get the hint and go away.

Yeah. He didn't really think it'd work either.

"How bout you stop being such a stick in the mud and go out with me tonight?"

Teeth still clenched, Sasuke forced out a response. "I'd really rather not."

"Wow, four whole words. That's a new record for you, isn't?"

Unable to take it anymore, the raven finally turned to glare at his Least Favorite Thing. Naruto was standing a lot closer than he'd thought; he had one arm slung across the back of Sasuke's chair, the other hand allowing him to lean his body over so Sasuke was completely trapped. For a moment, the raven was caught by surprise. He regained his composure before his glare could slip. Instead, his scowl deepened.

"Can I help you?"

A wicked grin spread across the blond's face. Sasuke was filled with instant regret for asking the question. The other leaned in closer – if that were even possible – and whispered in his ear.

"Yes, but it's not something that can be handled in public."

At least he whispered.

A light flush spread over the raven's face, and he turned back to his screen before the other could notice. "Can't you go find someone else to annoy?" He grumbled.

Naruto's breath ghosted past his face with his next response. "Hmm. I suppose I could. But none of them fascinate me quite as much as you do."

Sasuke's own breathing hitched just as the warmth he hadn't noticed at his back disappeared.

"Ah well," Naruto continued, and the raven just _knew_ he was scratching the back of his head and grinning in that ridiculous way of his, "I can't force you. See ya, Sasuke."

The raven didn't have to turn to know the blond was gone.

* * *

It all started because of one of the most evil forms of torture known to mankind: a group project. Sasuke had partnered up with the three people he least hated in his class: Neji, Sakura, and Juugo. They'd all been through this several times before – one of the benefits of being a junior was going through the same bullshit over and over and over again – and had it down to an art. They met twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, starting from the day the project was assigned to the day it was due and otherwise left each other alone.

The method was so _perfect_. Which is why he didn't understand when Sakura messed it up one day.

"I have to meet my friend for dinner this Thursday, so can we meet Wednesday instead?"

He wasn't the only one who opposed it.

"Sakura," Neji said slowly. "This is the only evening a week I have time to meet with this group." He was busy as president of several clubs.

"I have a volunteer event that night I'm expected to attend." Juugo was, after all, an involved member of his frat.

"No," was all Sasuke had to say.

She pouted but finally relented. "Fine. Then he's going to come and pick me up early."

And so when Thursday came, they all met Sakura's friend.

He was tall, blond, and devastatingly handsome. More so than any mortal had a right to be really. The guy had walked over with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes – were eyes even allowed to be so blue? – before flopping down in the chair next to Sakura.

"You ready to go?" He asked her, not bothering to acknowledge the rest of the group. Sasuke felt his eye twitch at the rudeness. Neji cocked an eyebrow.

Sakura, however, just smiled and waved him off. "Not now, Naruto, we're in the middle of something. It'll just take a second."

He sighed and flopped back in his chair, like being asked to wait was the biggest chore. Sasuke was almost positive his eye would never stop twitching.

"…Anyways," Neji had continued, his face returning to its normal reserved state. "I agree with Sasuke; this entire section" – he motioned to the screen of his laptop which was flipped around so they could all see – "needs to be reworked. We are supposed to be writing about the _method_ of creating solar cells, not the physics behind why they work."

Sakura scribbled something down on her notebook, nodding. "Yeah that makes sense. I guess I just got carried away. Do you want me to do this part or…?"

Sasuke – now completely ignoring the apparently sleeping blond – responded. "Hn. I was already planning on doing it. You have other sections to worry about."

"So do you," she pointed out. He merely shrugged. "Well if that's it, then…Naruto, ready?"

The guy was too busy staring at Sasuke at this point. "…Sakura," he said at long last. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh yeah." She was busy shoving her notebooks into her backpack. "This is Neji, Juugo, and Sasuke." She nodded at each of them in turn. "We've been a group since freshman year." Books in place, she zipped the bag and threw it over her shoulder. "Let's go."

The blond didn't move for a moment, still staring hard at Sasuke. A grin broke across his face. "Sasuke, huh?" The raven raised a single eyebrow coolly, which only succeeded in widening the other's smile. He shifted his glance to Sakura. "Yeah, I'm ready." But before they walked away, he turned once more to Sasuke. "See ya around."

* * *

True to his word, Sasuke _did_ see Naruto around. He went from never knowing the blond existed to running into him everywhere. Naruto was at his favorite coffee shop every morning before class, working out at the gym during the afternoon when he normally did, and studied in the engineering building with – and then without – Sakura every evening.

Sasuke was starting to think he'd accumulated a stalker.

When he first saw Naruto in the study area after that Thursday, the blond smiled and waved at him. He, in turn, pretended not to notice the blond – seriously, how could anyone _not_ notice him? – and walked right by. As if that would deter him.

Then he ran into him – literally – on the track at the gym. Naruto pulled alongside him after apologizing profusely and chattered his ear off. Sasuke turned his music up and picked up the pace. No such luck.

The next time, he ran on the treadmill.

At the coffee shop, Naruto would pull up a chair at the table where Sasuke was sitting and start talking to him. When it became clear he wasn't going to respond, the blond started asking homework questions. At first, Sasuke answered them. Soon it became clear that Naruto wasn't even taking those classes; he was just looking for topics of conversation they could have. So he stopped responding.

But Naruto never got the hint. Instead of backing off, he redoubled his efforts. And if Sasuke were ever unsure of the blond's intentions before, he most certainly wasn't anymore. Every day, without fail – because they were bound to run into each other at least once a day – Naruto would ask him on a date. And every day, without fail, Sasuke would turn him down in some rude way.

Oh he knew he was being rude. He did it intentionally.

Sure, Sasuke could've changed his schedule. Switched it up a little. Stop being so predictable. But he didn't.

To be honest, he liked the attention. Especially from Naruto.

And who could blame him? The guy was tall, tan, ripped, and had the most gorgeous blue eyes he'd ever seen. It should be illegal to look that good. Seriously.

So then why'd he keep turning him down?

Well, it probably had something to do with his commitment issues. But he told himself it was because the game was fun. This was his and Naruto's _thing_. The blond stalked him, asked him out, and hung all over him. Sasuke, in turn, got irritated, turned him down, and ignored him most of the time. He knew it wasn't going to last. Eventually, Naruto would get fed up with being rejected all the time and move on to someone who would actually return his affection. Sasuke _knew_ this. But he also expected it. Nobody stayed with anyone forever. That's what he'd learned from previous experience.

He'd thought that he'd be forgotten after the summer ended and he went back for his fourth and final – thank god – year of higher education. His heart had sort of twisted at the idea, but he didn't care. The first day of his senior year, he expected to hear about how Naruto got a new boyfriend/girlfriend from Sakura.

Or maybe he wouldn't hear anything. Maybe he'd just see Naruto wandering around campus, arm in arm with some equally attractive guy, taking him to the coffee shop he'd stalked Sasuke at until so recently. And he'd tell that guy about how it's his favorite café by campus, but he can't remember why…

Instead, he walked into the study lab of the engineering building and saw Naruto sitting in there already. The blond's head jerked up from his laptop, and he grinned as if he'd been waiting for Sasuke the whole time. A grin brighter than the sun could shine spread over his face seeming to say 'seeing you makes me happier than anything else'. It made Sasuke's heart skip about five beats before it restarted itself at an accelerated pace. He'd booked it out of there as fast as possible before whatever was bubbling in his chest burst out like Alien.

And that was how Naruto became Sasuke's Number One Least Favorite Thing. Anything – or anyone – that could make him feel like that was bad for his health.

The attention persisted. It got to the point Sasuke could barely think without it. A day wasn't complete if Naruto hadn't approached him about 'seeing this movie' or 'going to that restaurant'. The raven was starting to wonder how he'd survive without having the blond vie for his affection day after day.

He hated himself for it.

* * *

Sighing, Sasuke stood up. It was no use. The noise had grown to the point where he could no longer concentrate. Time to call it a night.

He was tossing his notes into his backpack when he saw it. A small black rectangle lying abandoned on the ground. Some idiot dropped their wallet.

Being the Good Samaritan he was, Sasuke picked it up and looked inside. A few white papers fell out of the main area where the driver's license should have been. He bent down and picked them up, unfolding them to see if they gave a hint of the owner.

_'Favorite colors: black and blue'_

_ 'Family: Parents (divorced), brother (Itachi)'_

_ 'Usually drinks black coffee, no cream/sugar'_

_ 'Studies in engineering building's study lab daily between classes and until 9 or 10 pm'_

What the fuck was this? His mind screaming into overdrive, he ripped the remaining white papers out of the wallet – _'Intelligent (Dean's List almost every semester)', 'Fast runner' _– to get to the license. His fist tightened around the slips of paper in his hand. He should've known.

"Naruto." He growled under his breath. He snatched his backpack and stormed off.

One angry phone call to Sakura later – hey he wasn't a stalker like the blond apparently was – and he was standing in front of apartment 305. He beat his fist repeatedly against the door until he heard stomping and calls of "ok, ok, I'm coming geez".

The guy who opened the door was not Naruto. He was some brunet weirdo with tattoos on his face. Sasuke gave him his best glower.

"I'm looking for Naruto."

"Yo!" The guy yelled over his shoulder. "It's for you!"

The response came from somewhere inside. "Yeah, I'm coming. Let them in, Kiba."

The guy named Kiba stood back from the door, gesturing for Sasuke to come in. The raven did, just so the door wouldn't slam shut on his face when the brunet inevitably walked away. Which happened seconds later.

"You can deal with whoever the fuck that is. Just keep it down alright?" He grumbled as he walked by a room glowing with light.

There was a chuckle, then Naruto stepped out. It was obvious he'd just taken a shower; he'd managed to put on some light wash jeans but was still shirtless, hair damp. Sasuke forgot to breathe. The blond had his back to the door, and it was just as toned as the raven had always imagined. Illegal. It had to be illegal somehow.

When Naruto turned around, Sasuke had to remind himself that drooling was _not_ acceptable behavior. Especially around someone he was mad at. Because he was still mad. Definitely mad.

Naruto's jaw dropped at the same time the raven closed his. "Sasuke?" The other asked incredulously. It seemed to take him a moment to regain his composure. He then sauntered over to where Sasuke was still standing like a statue, placing his hand on his head and leaning his elbow on the wall over the raven. "What brings you to my humble abode?" He was grinning that grin. That stupid grin that made Sasuke's stomach do circus tricks.

"I think this is yours." He thrust the wallet at Naruto, maintaining his trademark Uchiha glare the entire time.

Naruto's smile dropped ever so slightly – seriously, what was he expecting? – before he responded. "Thanks. Didn't realize I'd dropped it."

Sasuke's fist tightened around the pages in his hand, wondering if this was just yet another of the blond's tricks to snare him. That small motion was accompanied by a rumpling sound. Naruto's attention dropped to the raven's hand.

In that moment, the blond went deathly pale. He jerked his wallet up to his face, opening it and flipping through it a few times, before his gaze returned to Sasuke's. The raven had never before seen Naruto look so terrified. It was strangely satisfying.

"What are these?" He brought the offending white papers up to Naruto's face, shaking them a few times in emphasis.

"Um…" The blond swallowed. "Those are…uh…" He never stuttered. This was a moment for the record books. "Those…um…ah…"

"Favorite restaurant: Hebi, favorite drink: black tea, prefers working alone than in teams." Sasuke recited from the top three, looking up after he'd finished. "What the fuck? How long have you been stalking me?"

The elbow slid from the wall as the blond took a few steps back. Sasuke didn't relent.

"This isn't fucking cool. Isn't it bad enough I have to see you every day? I don't want you in my head too!"

Naruto's hands were now raised in defense, though he still said nothing.

"Are you getting some sick kick from this? I ought to report you to the police or get a restraining order or something! Jesus!"

Finally, Naruto gathered some backbone. "Whoa there. No need to go crazy and get others involved. Let's just talk about this."

"What is there to talk about?! YOU'RE STALKING ME!"

The blond threw a hand over Sasuke's mouth. "Ok, ok. Just keep it down, alright?" He looked nervously in the direction his roommate had disappeared.

Sasuke just glared. Content the raven was no longer going to shout, Naruto lowered his hand.

"This stops now," he hissed. "I'm leaving." He turned to stalk out. A hand grabbed his arm.

"Wait. Just…sit down, ok? Let me explain." The look on Naruto's face was so dejected Sasuke ended up giving in. He flopped down on the couch, arms crossed in front of his chest, waiting.

Naruto sighed, drawing a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, ok? I never meant for this to happen. Those were just…notes."

"Notes." Sasuke repeated.

"Yeah. At first they were just supposed to help me remember things. I have a horrible memory, even with people I care about. I wanted to get to know you better, so I made notes of my observations or things Sakura let slip in conversation." Sasuke blinked but didn't interrupt.

"But then I got carried away. You aren't very open, and Sakura only knew so much. So I did…research."

"Research." Dear god, he was starting to sound like a broken record.

"Like I said: I got carried away. I'm sorry. I should never have done any of this. I'll leave you alone; I promise. You'll never see me around again." The look on Naruto's face was so sincere it almost broke Sasuke's heart.

"No," he found himself saying. "It's fine."

Both the blond's eyebrows raised. "It's fine? You were just shouting at me moments ago."

"That was before you looked like I'd kicked your favorite puppy," Sasuke grumbled. Out loud. Shit.

The smile that lit Naruto's face reminded Sasuke of the one which had made the blond his Number One Least Favorite Thing. This time, though, it didn't spark fear in him when he felt that bubbling in his chest. He welcomed it. It reminded him of sunshine.

"Want something to drink? I have Earl Grey." The blond was on his feet, disappearing down the hall. That was weird. The kitchen was right there.

He reappeared moments later, sporting an orange tee-shirt. Oh. That was a shame.

"Yeah that sounds fine."

Still grinning, Naruto walked into the kitchen, pouring water into the kettle.

"Good thing you put on a shirt, I thought my eyeballs were going to melt out of my head."

"Not unless they melted from my sexiness."

"In your dreams, blondie."

"If only you knew." It was spoken so low that Sasuke was positive he wasn't supposed to hear it. He flushed a light pink. The kettle screamed. "Tea time," Naruto announced in his normal voice.

They sat in silence, blowing on their cups as they waited for the tea to cool. After a few moments, Naruto cleared his throat. "I, uh, got you something."

Sasuke turned to stare at him incredulously, setting his tea on the coffee table. "It's not my birthday."

"I know."

"Then why…?"

Rather than respond, Naruto thrust a small package into the raven's hands. He gripped it automatically. The gift was small and wrapped in black tissue paper. He looked up at Naruto in question.

"Open it."

He did.

Inside was a necklace; a small fan-shaped charm attached to a piece of black rope-like string. The necklace looked identical to one he'd lost sometime over the summer swimming in a lake; he thought he'd lost it forever. Wordlessly he put it on, tying it in the back. It was short enough to not be a bother but long enough to fit under his shirt. It was perfect.

"I noticed you didn't have your old necklace anymore, so I looked around to find this one. It's not identical, and I wasn't sure why you didn't have the old one anymore, but…" The blond was staring at the floor, blushing brightly.

"It's perfect. Thank you." Naruto looked back up, his blue eyes meeting Sasuke's grey ones. "But I still don't know why you got this for me."

"Heh. I never expected to give it to you, but it's an anniversary gift."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Anniversary gift?"

"Yeah," Naruto smirked. "Of the day we first met. Remember?"

"How could I forget? You were so rude to us."

"Well I wasn't expecting to run into someone as gorgeous as you."

Sasuke flushed. "How can you just say things like that?"

Naruto's eyes froze the raven in place. "Because it's true. I haven't been able to take my eyes off you since that day."

"Obviously." Despite the blush still present on his cheeks, the raven's lips curled up in a smirk to match the blond's.

"Ha! I guess I deserved that one." Naruto drained his tea in one large gulp, then wandered over to the kitchen and poured himself a second glass. "So does this mean I get to keep stalking you?"

"Idiot." Sasuke glared at the blond.

"What?"

"I don't want a stalker."

The blond looked confused. "I thought you'd forgiven me?" The glare continued. "Well if you don't want a stalker, what do you want?"

The sudden image of Naruto without a shirt, sweating and thrusting into him from above flashed through the raven's mind. He practically choked on the tea he was drinking. That momentarily lapse of control alerted the blond, whose trademark grin once again lit his face in an unearthly light.

"So does that mean you'll go on a date with me?"

He shot the giddy blond a sharp look. "No."

"Damn." The other hung his head in mock shame, waves of happiness never relenting. But then he looked back up, a glint in his eyes. "Guess it's a good thing this counts."

Sasuke really did choke on his tea that time.

* * *

**AN:** _Happy (late) NaruSasu day! My creative monkeys simultaneously flew into my head and melted on the floor for this fic, so it's tragically related to my life. Sorry. I can come up with a general plot, but with the details...not so much. The study area, solar cell assignment, and insane amount of freshman were all stolen from my life. No offense to freshman out there, but our school let in a record number of them and now we're overpopulated and it's flooding into the town around us in a not-so-good way._

_Like it? Don't like it? Want it continued (not gonna happen, but you can try)? Review! Because they are loved. :)_


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